Manchester United: Angel Di Maria should leave Old Trafford to find best form says Paul Parker

Angel Di Maria has made an inauspicious start to his Manchester United careerGetty Images

Angel Di Maria has been urged to leave Manchester United for either Arsenal or Chelsea in order to salvage his career after a harrowing start to his Old Trafford tenure that culminated in the Argentine's dismissal in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Di Maria moved to United from Real Madrid for a British record of £59.7m (£90m) in the summer of 2014 but has failed to recapture his best form amid the club's difficult start to the campaign under manager Louis van Gaal. Meanwhile, his home life would have been interrupted in February after the Argentina international suffered the disturbing experience of an attempted burglary on his house.

But following his dismissal during the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, which saw him grab the shirt of referee Michael Oliver having been booked for diving, questions are being asked over his long-term future.

Ex-United full-back Paul Parker believes a cut-price exit from the Theatre of Dreams is inevitable, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all representing realistic destinations for the 27-year-old winger.

"The only way it is going to work out for Di Maria, the only way he is going to get back to being the player he was before, is to move on," Parker told Eurosport. "The way things are going at Manchester United, he is not going to progress as a player because the team are playing horribly and you can't see how that situation is going to change.

"There are persistent rumours of a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer and I certainly don't think it's impossible. You can't really afford to get a £60m transfer wrong because you are not going to get a return on your investment, and if United sold him at the end of the season they'd lose £10m, minimum.

"If you look at the kind of teams who could spend £50m, they all, with the exception of Manchester City, are much more naturally suited to a player like Di Maria. PSG would suit him nicely, as would going back to Real Madrid. In England, Arsenal are the best fit for the way they shift the ball around quickly in midfield, but even Chelsea would be a better home for him than United as they are a bit more expressive now."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho revealed earlier in the season he turned down the chance to sign Di Maria and Radamel Falcao due to the pair's astronomical wage demands.